Aurora Storm is now on its way to the North Sea, enabling Project Greensand to soon begin commissioning tests before the first storage of CO2 in Denmark

Earlier today, the transport ship Aurora Storm left the harbor in Esbjerg, after the ship has been at the dock in Esbjerg for the past weeks. Here, Blue Water Shipping and Semco Maritime have installed and upgraded equipment on Aurora Storm, so that the ship is now ready to fulfill its role in Project Greensand. 

"An exceptional job has been carried out at the port in Esbjerg, where Blue Water Shipping and Semco Maritime have prepared the Aurora Storm for its new task. Now the testing of systems out on the North Sea can begin before we start the actual storage of CO2 in Denmark later. We are looking forward to demonstrating how safe and permanent storage of CO2 in the subsurface of the North Sea can be a step on the way to fulfilling climate ambitions", says Søren Reinhold Poulsen, Project Director of Project Greensand. 

Climate and business potential
Work has been done to upgrade Aurora Storm so that the ship can safely transport containers with liquid CO2 from Antwerp, Belgium to the North Sea. Blue Water Shipping and Semco Maritime have, among other things, installed the frame structure that ensures that the containers remain in their position during the voyage. 

"We are proud to be part of a ground-breaking project that seeks to be part of the solution in the green transition. Now preparations begin to commission systems before the first storage of CO2 in Denmark. At Blue Water Shipping, we see great potential in capturing and storing CO2 – both climate-wise and business-wise. Through Project Greensand, we gain important experience that can benefit us and Denmark going forward", says Søren G. Nielsen, Head of Chartering at Blue Water Shipping. 

Innovative solutions are connected 
In addition to the frame structure, new piping and pumps have been added to Aurora Storm. The electrical installations have been upgraded, and safety procedures have been reviewed so that the ship can safely begin its new role in the task of storing CO2. 

"We are excited that Aurora Storm has now sailed towards the Nini West-field in the North Sea. This is very tangible proof, that our longtime experience of working in the North Sea can be used to develop and design solutions that benefit the climate. We are proud that we can help connect and facilitate the innovative solutions being worked on in Project Greensand," says Anders Benfeldt, Senior Vice President for Oil & Gas at Semco Maritime. 

The final preparations begin 
Aurora Storm will be arriving at the Nini West-field shortly. The offshore-rig Noble Resolve is already in place at the field in the Danish part of the North Sea, currently undergoing commissioning to facilitate storage of CO2. Project Greensand is progressing as planned and expect to commission the new CO2 injection systems in the coming weeks. The commissioning period is expected to proceed through February. Here the systems for transporting and storing of CO2 will be inspected, upgraded, and optimized. After the finalization of this period, Project Greensand will initiate the actual storage in the subsoil of the Danish North Sea. 

"We are now beginning preparations on the North Sea, and we are very much looking forward to getting on with the work out there. We are now preparing our systems before the first storage of CO2 in Denmark can really begin. We work with the full value chain of capturing, transporting, and storing of CO2, and we look forward to demonstrating how we can make a significant contribution to the green transition through safe and permanent storage of CO2 in the North Sea's subsoil," says Søren Reinhold Poulsen. 

In December 2022, the Danish Energy Agency gave Project Greensand the first ever Danish permit for CO2 storage, and in January 2023 the project's pilot phase was then awarded the final design verification from DNV.

This allows Project Greensand to work further to test, develop and demonstrate that CO2 can be stored in the Nini West-field. In the wake of the pilot phase, Project Greensand's next phases follow. The goal is for Project Greensand to be able to store up to 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year from 2025 – while according to the plan, 4 to 8 million tons of CO2 per year can potentially be stored from 2030.